The Demon HEART
by howtodreamagain
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia died in the year X777. In her place, Heart was born, a demon of Zeref's creation. Tasked by Zeref with the protection of END, Heart joins Fairy Tail. But the longer she stays, the more she questions whether Lucy really died that day. With Tartaros beginning to make its move, Heart is only certain of one thing: Protect END or die trying.
1. Prologue

**While I slowly start writing again for the other stories, let's start a new one. Hahaha I might be insane to do this but I am sick with a cold so meh. Without further ado, welcome to my new story**

 **The Demon HEART**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. Instead I suffer from the feels that Trollshima is putting me through.**

* * *

 **Prologue: Because I love you**

Chaos surrounded them. Rubble from buildings broken from the force of their attacks were scattered around the pair. Fairy Tail watched on, muted by their fear and awe as the pair clashed again, remnants of fire and darkness flickering from their attacks. They could see both fighters' mouths moving but were too far to tell what they were saying.

Suddenly a rough voice, tinged in pain and frustration and anger shouted, "WHY?! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?! ANSWER ME…LUCY?!"

And in the midst of a fierce battle, a ring of fire and darkness surrounding them, everything stopped as Natsu Dragneel locked eyes with Lucy Heartfilia.

"I was never Lucy of Fairy Tail. I am Heart. One of Zeref's demons. As for my reason…"

Heart closed her eyes, hearing the voice of Layla Heartfilia, the mother of her former human self. How similar they were Heart thought. Like mother, like daughter.

"Because it's my duty."

And with that the demoness hand flickering with dark magic charged at the boy who befriended her, the man she came to fell in love with, the brother of the man who gave her a second chance, the dragon slayer who was Zeref's strongest demon, END.

Etherious Natsu Dragneel.

Ten seconds until contact.

 _Natsu, you can hate me._

Nine seconds.

 _You can kill me_.

Eight.

 _You can do anything. Just don't look at me with those eyes._

Six.

 _Those eyes that say you still believe in me. That it's some mistake._

Five.

 _After all I did it all for you._

Four

 _Not out of duty like I said. Maybe it used to be but now…_

Three.

 _Now there's only one reason._

Two.

 _Only one._

One.

 _It's because I love you._

* * *

 **Please review, favourite and follow! As for the readers of my other stories, in particular The Celestial Knight and The Dragon Slayer Bro Code. Both are on the move. But ideas for what punishment to use for breaking the bro code would be appreciated ^^" it's the main reason I haven't updated that story yet.**

 **Have a nice day/night**

 **howtodreamagain**


	2. Chapter 1

**WHOA I'M ACTUALLY ON A KINDA ROLL! FASTEST UPDATE EVER #I surprised myself**

 **As always, thank you for all the favourites and follows and reviews :3 *HUGS EVERYONE***

 **Enjoy the second instalment of The Demon HEART**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: A Mother's Sacrifice**

Zeref placed his hands on the tomb, black magic pulsing at his fingertips.

"I will ask you one last time, Layla. Is this what you want? If we do this, you will only have a few moments to say goodbye before you yourself pass. To bring one back to life, another life must be sacrificed."

Layla, hands clutched tightly around a bound, faded journal, breathed out before locking eyes with Zeref.

"Yes."

And then darkness covered the tomb.

* * *

 _My dear Lucy,_

 _It is the year X777, July X777 to be specific. A few days ago, a strange young man approached me calling himself Zeref. I remember thinking that this was impossible, that Zeref was a legend, nothing more. Yet my heart tells me his words are the truth. He said he had come with a request. A request I had already known of, from the book that has been passed down for generations of Heartfilia. If anything, it is not a request but a duty, a pact formed long ago between my ancestor, Anna Heartfilia, Zeref Dragneel and Igneel, King of the Fire Dragons._

 _And now it will finally be fulfilled. But before that, I hope that Zeref will grant my request. My dearest daughter, you passed away a few months ago from a magical sickness that emerged from your high levels of magic power. But I wasn't strong enough to say goodbye to you, you who had been so bright and full of life, only to have been snatched away by death so unfairly. So with the help of a time mage and an ice mage, I had you encased in a tomb of ice with time magic that would prevent the body from decay and essentially keep you in a timeless state._

 _I only seek one thing from Zeref, and I will sacrifice all that I have to accomplish it. Even if I die, should you have a second chance at life, I will do anything._

 _Layla Heartfilia._

* * *

"Lady Layla! You must stop! Without Aquarius you cannot open the Eclipse Gate!" Capricorn urged his master.

"Capricorn, you have served me well for so long and I know Aquarius' key isn't here but I have to do this. It is no longer simply my duty to open the Eclipse Gate but my chance to bring _her_ back."

Capricorn's eyes widened beneath his glasses. "You did not…my lady?!"

She smiled sadly but lifted her scarred hand to Capricorn's eyes.

"I have made a blood pact with Zeref. In exchange for opening the Eclipse Gate, Zeref will bring back Lucy. As one of the books of Zeref."

"How could you do this?! Especially to Lucy!"

"It is become I am selfish, Capricorn. A mother only ever wants to see her child grow up."

"…"

"Now, my dear friend, I have one more selfish request to ask of you."

* * *

 _My dear Lucy_

 _With the help of other celestial mages who possessed the other zodiacs and had been sworn to secrecy, I opened the Eclipse Gate and let in the dragon slayers and their dragon parents from 400 years ago. They are only children. I remember seeing Zeref's eyes fixated on one of the children, a curious boy who had pink hair and wondering what their connection was. But to be honest, all I could think of was how you would be reborn soon and how much I had yet to do._

 _So while everyone discussed what they would do next, I left to go to your tomb. You were there, just as you had always been. Frozen in a state you would remain unchanged in for eternity. Yet I knew, from the moment that I held you when you opened your eyes that had been filled with something pure, that you were destined for something great. Or maybe it is just my selfishness spinning excuses for what I am about to do._

 _Placing both hands on the icy tomb, in the place directly above your heart, I gather all my magic and send it into your heart, and when I feel the pull telling me my magic is almost gone, I use what remaining life force I can spare to make sure that there is enough of my magic within you. Enough so that we may meet again one day. Enough to say I am sorry for not saving you. Enough to say sorry for my selfishness._

 _And when I have only a little energy left, enough to be able to watch Zeref perform the ceremony to make you one of his demons, I stop and smile when I see the glowing spot shining in your little body._

 _I love you Lucy. I hope you will forgive your mother's selfishness._

 _Layla Heartfilia._

* * *

Zeref, after hearing Layla's consent began to perform the ceremony to create a demon of Zeref, using the same steps he did for his precious little brother Natsu. He observed the tiny girl in her tomb, so fragile, yet even he could tell that she had a brightness to her. _She reminds me of Mavis_ , Zeref thought wistfully.

When the beginnings of a book began to form above the tomb, he smiled, knowing that the process was nearly complete and his blood pact with Layla Heartfilia would be fulfilled.

 _This child will be strong_ , he mused, as the book continued to develop. _A child of the stars and a demon mixed together. What a truly strange combination. But all the better for one of my demons._

With a white flash, the book was complete but something was still missing.

"What shall we name her?" He directed his question to the much paler Layla who had moved to her daughter, who had colour in her cheeks again.

"Heart. She is considered dead so Lucy Heartfilia cannot be but I would like her to keep some part of her heritage."

"The demon Heart. How ironic." Zeref agreed, and inscribed the word 'HEART' in golden lettering on the black book.

"My pact is fulfilled. I bid you farewell, Layla Heartfilia." And with that, he disappeared into the darkness, the book in his hand.

Meanwhile, Lucy's eyes had opened to see her mother above her.

"Mama, why are you crying?"

Layla could only grab her child in a tight hug before sitting down, putting Lucy in her lap.

"Lucy. I am sorry. One day you'll know why I am saying sorry. But for now, all you need to know is this."

Lucy nodded, inquisitive eyes sensing this was serious.

"You are no longer purely human. To bring you back, I asked Zeref to give you a second chance. But to do that, he had to make you a demon. In other words, you are now a mage-demon hybrid."

Lucy could only blink back in shock.

"You must leave Heartfilia manor and travel wherever you wish. Live how you like. Be free. But grow strong, Lucy. For Zeref wouldn't comply with my demands for no reason."

Lucy said nothing but tears started pouring down her face when she realised she would have to leave her home, her family.

Suddenly they could hear people approaching them and Layla placed Lucy up on her feet.

"You must leave now, Lucy! But always remember, I love you. Even if the world turns against you, there will always be someone who will stand beside you. Never forget that." And with a kiss to her daughter's forehead and putting her golden keys and journal into Lucy's hands, she pushed Lucy in the direction of the forest.

When she sensed Lucy had gone far enough, she slumped against the remains of the icy tomb, feeling exhaustion catch up to her. She felt her eyes closing and knew that death had finally come for her. But she wasn't afraid or regretful. She had gotten what she had wished and sacrificed what was needed.

 _I'm sorry Jude, I'm sorry Lucy, I'm sorry my dear spirit friends. I love you all so much. Goodbye._

And on July X777 Layla Heartfilia passed away besides what was assumed to be the attacked tomb of Lucy Heartfilia, the tragedy of the Heartfilia family recorded in the history books.

* * *

Zeref sat on his black throne, examining the newly made book in his hands. He felt a tingling on his chest and took out the book of END, his younger brother's book emanating a red light. _How curious. This is the first time END has reacted like this._

He watched the red light shine brighter and extend to encompass the book of HEART and suddenly the light faded and Zeref could sense a magical connection had formed between the books.

Zeref chuckled.

"How fitting for the protector of END."

* * *

Lucy ran through the trees, the urgency of her mother's words telling her she needed to leave and remain unseen making her continue to run without pause.

But even as her mother's words ran through the back of her mind, the unsaid words of the one who revived her, the person who had become her Master, Zeref Dragneel were still ringing in her ears from the magic that had been used to revive her.

The magic had spoken Zeref's will as he made Lucy a demon and she would obey them for she was now Heart, one of his demons.

 _You were revived for two reasons, Lucy Heartfilia as the demon Heart._

 _The first is to kill me._

 _The second, which you will obey even at the cost of your life, is to protect my younger brother, a fellow Etherious demon, Etherious Natsu Dragneel._

"Kill Zeref. Protect END. Such is the reason why I live."

* * *

 **AND THAT'S IT FOR THE FIRST CHAPTER! Next up, lol well I don't know what's next.  
**

 **Thank you for reviewing:**

 **Mystic Wing: the first reviewer for this story! THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Haha hopefully it'll only get better from here.**

 **DiDIY: your words are too kind *covers crying face* Hope you enjoyed the update**

 **Sisters of the Shadow Stars: you just broke my heart with your review _ Thank you for reviewing**

 **PurpleandPink2005: Thank you for reviewing this story and some of the others! I noticed and was so touched :3**

 **Srae13: I HAVE UPDATED. AND SOONER THAN USUAL! Thanks for reviewing**

 **FairyTailBookworm: Your review was soooooooooooo awesome ;D It has continued XD**

 **Johhny Spectre: Yesh! This is a new story that was just circling in my head the past months! I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for the review :)  
**

 **Please review again! I really like reading what you have to say :D**


	3. Chapter 2

**Just a short note before the chapter starts but to all the old and new writers of the Fairy Tail fandom, I hope we can continue writing even after Fairy Tail ends. I've seen many of my favourite writers stop writing and although it makes me sad, I'm glad to see new writers posting their works!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does**

 **I hope you enjoy the Demon Heart's instalment**

* * *

 _Previously:_

 _You were revived for two reasons, Lucy Heartfilia as the demon Heart._

 _The first is to kill me._

 _The second, which you will obey even at the cost of your life, is to protect my younger brother, a fellow Etherious demon, Etherious Natsu Dragneel._

" _Kill Zeref. Protect END. Such is the reason why I live."_

* * *

 **Chapter 2: If Fate is what you are given**

Humans are so fickle, Lucy mused as she watched the people in Hargeon go about their daily activities. Shifting in her perch on one of the taller buildings, she pulled the cowl of her dark cloak tighter over her head and then paused before turning her head to the side.

"Virgo. What is it?"

"Princess. I have confirmed that the target and the imposter have made contact. They were in that direction," Virgo said tonelessly, pointing to the north-west.

"Thanks Virgo. You can go back now."

With a bow, the maiden spirit disappeared back to the celestial realm, leaving Lucy to stare at the empty spot. Virgo, though the last spirit she had attained, was the one she felt closest to. The others all maintained some sort of distance from her, never crossing the boundary between friends and comrades in arms. But Lucy was okay with it because she knew they were only there because of their promise to her dying mother.

Deep down, part of her thought it wasn't right for someone like her to use celestial magic that could summon these beings of light while part of her was proud to continue on this part of the Heartfilia heritage. That latter part of her, she was still trying to quash. So Lucy didn't buy celestial keys or aim to collect them. Virgo had been the only exception because she had come out on her own power to request Lucy to become her owner and Lucy had reluctantly agreed after hearing Virgo's reasons.

With a deep sigh, Lucy heaved off her previously dangling legs off the rooftop and stood up before moving towards the area that Virgo had pointed at, using the rooftops skilfully as she jumped from one to another.

Today's target was as always Natsu Dragneel, epithet Salamander of Fairy Tail, the charge she existed to protect and the imposter Salamander, Bora of Prominence who she would deal with. Lucy groaned under her breath at her charge's reckless nature, having already dealt with so much of his reckless behaviour in the missions she had followed him since his joining to Fairy Tail. Hence why Lucy had decided that after dealing with Bora, she would join Fairy Tail, keep a closer eye on her charge and hopefully stop him from going on the most dangerous missions.

Eliminate Bora. Join Fairy Tail. Protect END. Simple.

"Is this my fate", she questioned aloud, "to follow this path that will lead me to my creator's death."

* * *

Lucy let out a breath when she was close enough to hear the interaction between the fake and real Salamander, grateful for Capricorn's harsh stamina and physical training.

After watching END leave with his exceed, Happy, Lucy was about to jump down and take down Bora when he was suddenly airborne, weak purple flames flickering around him. Lucy cursed at the missed chance and immediately began her pursuit after him.

Natsu rubbed his eyes in confusion, unsure if he had actually seen a black blur jump from a rooftop after the not Igneel or just imagined it. Most things couldn't escape a dragon's sharp eyes. His confused mind was brought to clarity when he heard some nearby women gossip about some party being held by Fairy Tail's Salamander. Natsu's eyes narrowed. Using his title was unimportant. Using the name of Fairy Tail was unforgiveable.

Lucy smirked when she caught up to where Bora had landed but frowned when she sensed Natsu's magical presence drawing closer. She had to do this fast.

Swiftly she drew out Aquarius' key and holding it out in front of her, said, "Star Dress: Aquarius form!" Luckily Lucy's cloak was enchanted to stay on to prevent her identity from being discovered and shielded her now much more scantily covered body from view. Raising both her hands, she called on Aquarius' power over the water to bring the ship where Bora resided onto the sand.

Maybe I used too much force, Lucy thought when she saw a small fire break out on the now overturned ship that was lying on its side, a small hole opened where fancily dressed women were running out. Lucy clicked her teeth in disgust when she realised Bora had been doing one of his trafficking operations and was about to charge down and beat him up when she saw the fire that had broken out being consumed.

Lucy sighed and sat down on the ledge she had been perched on, undoing her star dress as she did. Now that her charge was involved, she would have to sit and stay put in case Natsu needed secret backup, a tip she had learned from the Deliora, Lullaby and the Tower of Heaven incidents. Her charge might be strong but it was an unpredictable strength that made Lucy's job hard when he charged off at enemies he had a small chance of beating.

The demoness closed her eyes, knowing Natsu would easily win against the fellow fire mage and only opened them when she heard the clanging of a bell, in time to see Natsu and his exceed run off, a platoon of soldiers chasing them.

She smiled, and began following them from a safe distance outside of Natsu's sense range, on a path she knew that would lead her to Fairy Tail.

Eliminate Bora. Join Fairy Tail. Protect END. Simple.

* * *

" _If fate is what you are given,_

 _Then destiny is what you make of it."_

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter albeit a very short chapter but the reason it's short is because I think it needed to stop here. As always, thanks for the favourites and follows and reviewers :D**

 **SjinXephonis: *fans embarrassed face* your words are too kind for a bad updater like myself ^^" hopefully you're still reading FT fanfics so I can thank you for your review**

 **Mystic Wing: Hahaha thank you for your sweet words, I hope you enjoyed the update!**

 **Grizzly98: lol thank you for giving me so many cliffhanger ideas XD will they get together, will they survive…ohohoho who knows~**

 **Yukino scarlet: thank youuuuuuuuuuuu :D please review again!**

 **GruffMage7653: Yesh! I'm glad you see my perspective- Etherious Lucy would be both badass and unique ;D Thanks for the review**

 **Johnny Spectre: thank you for mentioning this, without your review I probably would've forgotten about this contradiction completely :L but Zeref contradicts everything so it'll work out o_o thanks for reviewing again :)**

 **FairyTailBookworm: Right on friend! I really want to develop Lucy's personality, probably to reflect on my own dark thoughts but regardless, I hope you stay tuned to see how this story goes. With regards to the second part of your review, it was actually that Heart's mission was always to protect END and the whole END forming a connection to HEART was more coincidence/fate than anything. And the effects of this connection will be discussed…**

 **Srae13: *adds suggestion from review into cliffhanger possibilities* there is much more in store for Lucy**

 **Sydneste: Hope you enjoyed the update though its late XD thanks for reviewing both chapters**

 **ArtisticGirl2.0: Thanks for reviewing! I hope you enjoy the update :D**

 **Hime of Hearts: Start writing! It means a lot to me to hear someone say these nice words and I really hope you try writing and posting your ideas :) haha I love cheesy lines that my HEART wouldn't stop racing in happiness ;) hmm as for story ideas, to be honest I just think of most of these randomly in random places and when a new Fairy Tail chapter comes up introducing a new concept then I just think how I can alter it…lol I can't really explain my thought process**

 **As always, don't forget to favourite, follow and review :D**

 **-how to dream again**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: I am alive. I am a lazy updater. But I still love Fairy Tail and writing. Sorry it's so late but enjoy the new instalment of The Demon Heart :3**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does.**

* * *

 _Previously:_

 _The demoness closed her eyes, knowing Natsu would easily win against the fellow fire mage and only opened them when she heard the clanging of a bell, in time to see Natsu and his exceed run off, a platoon of soldiers chasing them._

 _She smiled, and began following them from a safe distance outside of Natsu's sense range, on a path she knew that would lead her to Fairy Tail._

 _Eliminate Bora. Join Fairy Tail. Protect END. Simple._

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The opening Heart**

Lucy yawned as she continued to follow Natsu and his cat's trail, grimacing at the food scraps, predominantly consisting of fish bones along the way. _These guys are really sloppy_ , she thought disgustedly and immediately crossed off living with them, having a gut feeling that their house would be as untidy as them.

 _I seriously have to teach these guys personal hygiene._ Though she smiled wryly, having a technically dead person teach them how to live cleanly meant she must have some twisted sense of humour. Perhaps Virgo's presence was rubbing off her more than she thought.

She was so lost in her thoughts that they quickly reached Magnolia and when she noticed that, Lucy immediately went off a separate path from the human cat duo deciding to look around the town that was a lot livelier than she had expected, considering they had a destructive guild like Fairy Tail in their midst. However, they did have similar reactions of fear to her suspicious appearance with her dark cloak covering her entire body. She smiled wryly, if only they knew the truth about her demon identity. Then they'd really be running.

Lucy continued to stroll through the streets, wondering if she had the jewels to rent an apartment. Even though she was now some human demon hybrid she still needed to eat and sleep if she wasn't using her demon form. Then again that demon form was connected to her book which was in Zeref's possession, presuming he hadn't tossed it in some ditch somewhere. Uncaringly though, she put that issue on the back burner and finally proceeded to head towards the Fairy Tail guild, that even from afar she could tell had a significant magical presence.

As she reached the doors to the hall, she thought that if she had still been alive as a normal human girl, it might've been a dream of hers to become a member of Fairy Tail. But now, it was just a step on the path to defeating Zeref. A sad smile crossed her face for a second before she resumed her poker face when she detected something rapidly approaching the doors from the inside. Lucy stepped to the right, just as none other than Natsu Dragneel spiralled out of the doors, leaving embers behind as he fell at least twenty paces away.

Seeing that he was fine, she brushed a stray ember off her cloak before entering what could only be called chaos. With an indifferent expression, she walked over to who she presumed to be Mirajane Strauss, formerly the Demon Mirajane who watched the stranger with trepidation and disbelief at the stranger's casual dismissal of the brawls occurring around them.

"Can I speak to your Master please? I'd like to join the guild."

Mira's interest was piqued. The stranger was female but there was something strange about this hooded figure that she just couldn't recognise.

"Of course. I'll go get him immediately." Mira said, stepping out from behind the bar to move towards the Master's office. She was stopped when the hooded figure stretched out their left arm in front of her, palm faced towards her.

Lucy who turned to face the chaos in interest, saw a large white-haired man that had unknowingly been kicked towards them and without thinking reached for her whip and used it to encircle the man's torso. Tightening her grip, she threw the man back into the fight where his landing would be safer among a crowd compared to the bar which had empty glasses everywhere. Lucy lowered her left arm, returning her whip to its original position by her hip.

Mira blinked at what she had witnessed. Meanwhile the guild members were getting more riled up and preparing their magic, when a giant foot came smashing down on the floor, sending people everywhere.

Lucy's eyes widened beneath the hood. So this was the Fairy Tail's guild master, Makarov Dreyar's titan magic. She watched as Natsu finally returned from the outside, charging in like a bull and was stopped by the master's now supersized hand. She snickered which drew the Master's attention to her, making her stop laughing immediately.

"Oh? A newcomer?"

Before her eyes, the giant shrunk into a dwarf-sized human but his magical presence didn't diminish at all, if anything it got stronger. He approached her unworriedly, as the guild members went back to non-violent activities.

"Yes. I'd like to join the guild."

"That's fine. Mirajane, go get the guild stamp for our newcomer…?"

"Lucy, sir."

"No need for formalities Lucy. I hate to pry but is there a reason you're not showing your face?"

She shrugged but didn't reply, wanting to limit the amount of interaction she had with the guild members. Her purpose was to protect END, not make friends and she had a gut feeling that the next few years would be the most crucial for his growth. Although Alvarez and Tartarus weren't moving, the other members of the Balam alliance, Oracion Seis and Grimoire Heart were coming and at his current power level, Lucy knew he would be destroyed immediately. Luckily for her, Mirajane arrived back with the stamp and she held out her right hand.

"On my right hand please."

"Any colour you'd prefer?"

"Anything's fine."

Mirajane smiled and pressed the stamp to her hand. After it was pulled away, Lucy examined the insignia on her skin, feeling the slight magical presence it had.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail officially then, Lucy! I'm Mirajane Strauss, but you can call me Mira."

"Ah thank you. Do you know if there are any cheap apartments nearby?"

Before Mira could answer, a half-naked man sidled up beside them, curious about their newest member.

"So your name's Lucy? What kind of magic do you use?"

"Usually when asking questions about someone else, they should introduce themselves first."

Gray stiffened at her formal tone, finding it similar to the threatening tone of a certain scarlet haired knight. What was up with this chick?

"Gray Fullbuster. Wielder of ice make magic. Along with Lyon Vastia, the two of you were taught by Ur and recently reconciled on Galuna Island. Shall I go on?"

Gray snarled and put his hands together, cold fog misting over his hands. "Who the hell are you?! How do you know about that?!"

"I'm just Lucy." She replied nonchalantly, though her hand twitched at her hip where her whip resided.

"Why don't you take off that hood of yours then, Lucy?" His hands didn't relax from their offensive position.

"I'd rather not."

However, before anything could break out, a large hand was between them and they both looked to the sitting down Makarov who had stopped the imminent fight while dealing with the crying child trying to hit him with his tiny fists.

"I will not send anyone to help Macao. Your father went on that mission for your sake, did he not Romeo? No mage of Fairy Tail can't take care of themselves."

But the boy was inconsolable, partly out of guilt of making his father take the mission in the first place, partly out of anger of his own powerlessness and now frustration that the master wouldn't send anyone to help his dad. He thrashed out of the Master's grip and ran towards the guild doors. A sudden bang echoed through the hall and Romeo felt a burning hand run through his hair, making him look up through blurry eyes to see a pink haired figure.

"Natsu-nii. Dad will come back…right?"

"He will. I'll bring him back myself. Let's go Happy."

"Aye sir!"

The man and his cat quickly ran off to find a way to Mt Hakobe before Makarov could stop him. Meanwhile, back inside the guild, Gray was still tense after the almost confrontation with the new member while said member, Lucy was moving to leave the guild. She stopped when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she looked down to see Makarov holding a small staff.

"Lucy. Why don't you accompany Natsu and Happy to find Macao?"

She paused, sensing the underlying demand in his request.

"As you wish Master." And she strode off with determined steps, something flickering in her slow beating heart at the emotional plea of the young Conbolt to save his father, at the plea of a child lacking the power to save his own parent, something she understood well.

Gray walked to where the Master was, asking why he had allowed this Lucy, who was clearly a suspicious individual into the guild and had even asked her to go with Happy and Natsu, who were naïve and too trusting of others.

"I simply believed in the power of an opening heart."

* * *

Said owner of said heart was now riding in a carriage to Mt Hakobe with a wishing for unconsciousness motion sick Natsu and a curious but slightly scared Happy.

"So…who are you again?" The cat asked.

Lucy suppressed the urge to sigh and held out a hand to the blue cat. "I'm Lucy. I just joined the guild."

Happy shook the hand, surprised at the human contact. He rarely had any, Natsu not included. "Oh! Well I'm Happy. And that's Natsu."

"Nice to meet the both of you. Is he…", she pointed at the human blob, "always like that on transport?"

Lucy knew his motion sickness was bad but now witnessing it up close it was downright amusing. While she had checked up on him on certain adventures or rather what was becoming a large chain of misadventures, with two of Zeref's demons and the R-system, it was always from a sufficient distance. Besides she herself needed time to grow stronger and keep track of the dark guilds. The actions of Ultear Milkovich, the daughter of Ur and a core member of Grimoire Heart, using her unfortunate puppet, Jellal Fernandes in the Tower of Heaven all for the sake of Zeref's revival made her realise how the top dark guilds were beginning to make their moves. She wondered how the Grimoire Heart guild would feel if they ever realised Zeref still lived, and required no resurrection or sacrifice. Her mind slipped back into the present when the carriage abruptly stopped and the driver of the carriage told them he couldn't go any further with the blizzard making any further travelling dangerous. Lucy flinched at the sudden movement of Natsu who had appeared to instantly recover.

After the trio exited the carriage, Natsu sniffed the air, feeling somewhat nostalgic about the scent of their company. He shook it off though and reached out to grab the cape or cloak or whatever it was covering this Lucy person as she headed in the direction of the mountain.

"Slow down a bit. I can track down Macao by scent so I'll lead. I'm Natsu by the way."

Lucy nodded and stepped out of the way. "Happy already told me. I'm Lucy."

"So what magic do you use Lucy?" He was boisterous as usual, unfazed by the don't talk to me aura Lucy thought she did fairly well.

She sighed as her boots trudged through the cold snow, "I use celestial spirit magic."

"That sounds cool…what does your magic do again?"

"She can summon spirits from the celestial realm Natsu. There's twelve golden keys for the twelve zodiac spirits and many silver keys. The gold ones are stronger but need more magic to summon." Happy explained patiently to Natsu, impressing Lucy with his knowledge.

"Well I use—"

"Fire dragon slayer magic."

Natsu swung his head her way, "How'd you know that?!"

"I saw you at Hargeon and you are the famous Salamander of Fairy Tail."

He blinked, thinking hard back to the memories of Hargeon with the fake Salamander and destroying a large part of the city and that flash of a black—

"Ah!" He put his hands together in an a-ha pose. "I knew I've seen you before. You were wearing that black cape at Hargeon and at –"

Lucy and Natsu both sensed the sudden change in the air with something large approaching them and jumped back, Lucy being closer to Happy grabbed the airborne cat. Where they had just been standing at was now a Vulcan with beady eyes, its head tilted at Lucy as if confused.

"…woman…?"

An awkward silence filled the air before a red aura began to leak out of Lucy, frightening Happy who was muffling snickers in her grasp. Lucy took a deep breath at the clear insult to her figure from a Vulcan no less, a creature that was renowned for being a pervert that apparently wasn't sure if she was a woman. Sure she was wearing a full bodied cloak, but even Natsu could tell she was a girl or did she assume that he had used his common sense and knew that Lucy was a girl's name and therefore deduced that she was a girl. Well either way this Vulcan was going to get it and if her theory was right then she would apologise to Macao after she knocked some sense into him about asking someone if they were a woman or not.

"Happy hold on tight", she told the cat before shoving him inside the depths of her cloak. She felt him find purchase on her shoulder and then rushed forward, extending her foot out to give a Lucy kick to the Vulcan. She deliberately made it weaker to not cause serious injury to the possibly Vulcan Macao, basing her judgment on the previous times she had Lucy kicked a Vulcan. However that was a mistake as apparently mages that had experienced the Vulcan take over were also stronger than the average one. The Vulcan gripped her around the waist and her hood fell off her head exposing her bright golden hair.

"Woman! You are woman! My woman!"

Lucy cracked her neck to the side and shot her best glare at it but the Vulcan was already leaping away from Natsu who was dumbfounded by the random turn of events.

* * *

Lucy was usually a fairly patient individual. But when a Vulcan questions your femininity even she was hard pressed to stay calm when all she wanted to do was Lucy kick him into the next century. When the Vulcan finally reached some random cave in the mountain, she summoned Horologium, a spirit she had come into possession after saving an elderly woman from a group of bandits and who had strongly insisted that it bordered on being a threat, that she take the key as a thank you. Summoning the clock spirit, she felt strangely comfortable inside but exited as she saw the Vulcan approaching them, annoyed that she had escaped him. Lucy took off her cloak and wrapped it around Happy who was still in the clock.

"Happy, stay in there. Horologium stay away from its line of sight in case, understood?"

"Lucy, wouldn't it better to stay in the clock and wait for Natsu. He said", Horologium intoned.

"I won't put you or Horologium at risk. You're both non-combatants."

"Star Dress: Taurus form."

Without another word, she began to clash with the Vulcan. Happy watched with amazed eyes as she fought on equal terms with the creature, no now that he looked closer, she was holding back. He wondered why but then she dealt the finishing blow and he watched with horrified awe as the Vulcan shrunk down into none other than Macao and Lucy released her weird star dress. Happy was about to leave the clock and go to where Lucy was dragging Macao towards the two when Natsu appeared in front of Horologium and was about to hit it with a flaming fist unaware that Happy was inside when it was stopped harshly by a gloved fist that started to steam immediately from the heat.

"What do you think you're trying to do to my spirit? Not to mention with Happy inside there."

He looked extremely remorseful so she reluctantly forgave him but then he saw Macao and it all went back to chaos again. Natsu, enraged grabbed her by the collar of her black shirt, distracted for a second by the contrast between her bright hair and her dark clothes and demanded to know what she'd done. She shrugged, further spiking his rage.

Happy, knowing Lucy was not guilty at all and instead just poor with communication, stepped forward and explained the situation to Natsu, pulling him over to Macao. Meanwhile Lucy stayed behind to thank Horologium and asked it to pass on a message to Virgo for her, unaware of the now guilty and regretful glances Natsu was shooting at her. Horologium went back and shortly after Lucy summoned Virgo, who held some first aid. Thanking her, the pair went to Macao and began treating his wounds, from his mission and from Lucy. Natsu noted that she seemed fairly versed in wrapping injuries and catalogued it into his growing pile of mysteries surrounded their new member, Lucy.

Macao began to rouse and Lucy donning her black cloak again stepped back, sending Virgo back.

"…Natsu is that you? Man I had the weirdest dream…there was this golden haired angel…"

Happy snickered, "Was the angel a girl or a guy?"

"…girl. I think."

Natsu, ever incapable of reading the mood, pointed at Lucy. "That was Lucy who kicked your ass to save you."

"Ah!" Macao sat up, pressing a hand to his bandaged torso. "Thank you then Lucy. Sorry about whatever I did. If only I managed to take down the last Vulcan. How will I face Romeo now…?" He mumbled aloud.

Feeling that strange something flickering in her heart again, Lucy stepped forward, placing a hand over Macao's.

"Do you really think Romeo would care if his father defeated twenty Vulcans if his father did not even come home? There is nothing sadder for a child than to wait for someone who is never returning."

"..." Macao rubbed some tears from his eyes before asking Natsu to help him get up. Natsu did so quietly and the four of them made the trek back to Magnolia. When they neared Macao's residence Lucy turned to leave but was stopped by Natsu grabbing her forearm tightly. She tried to remove his hand off her person but he continued to drag her along while still helping Macao along. When they finally reached his home where young Romeo was sitting on the doorstep.

"Romeo…I'm home."

Romeo looked up and saw his dad, injured but alive, weakened but home, and though his eyes were blurry from so many tears, his smile was wide as he tackled his father.

"Dad! Welcome home!"

"Son…I'm sorry I took so long. I didn't even manage to beat all of them. What a bad father I am." Macao rubbed his head sheepishly.

"Dad what are you talking about?! You're the strongest dad ever!"

As the pair had their father son reunion, Lucy, Natsu and Happy began to leave, their mission finished.

"Natsu-nii, Happy and Lucy-nee, thank you for bringing my dad home!" Romeo called out.

"I owe the three of you! Especially you Lucy!" Macao also shouted.

Natsu and Happy turned and waved brightly but Lucy simply raised her right hand, baring her insignia in acknowledgement, still facing forward. Only Natsu noticed the small smile on her face before she left to some place but only Lucy could feel the rush of warmth that captured her heart at the heartfelt gratitude. Deep down, she knew joining Fairy Tail was the right choice.

Natsu with both hands clasped behind his head and Happy flying besides him, the two discussing what they had learned about Lucy as they headed to their home.

"Lucy sure is a weirdo." He felt that summed her up pretty well.

"You likeeeeeee her."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not."

And the two bickered all the way home, unaware of Lucy watching the two from the trees of the forest. She relaxed into the tree she was resting on, accustomed to the rough bark on her back and the soft whispers of the leaves. Lucy took out her mother's journal, placing a gloved hand over it as she gazed into the night sky, illuminated by the countless stars.

"…I wonder how father is doing."

* * *

 **And that's a wrap! Thank you for your continued support for this story. Welcome to all the new readers who favourited or followed or reviewed this story! As always don't forget to review :)**

 **Thanks for reviewing: bloodRayneee, FairyTailBookworm, Grizzly98, Yukino Scarlet, SjinXephonis, Fiona Scarlet, FlameDragonHime**


	5. Chapter 4

**An update! Many months overdue but enjoy! The song is Still Here by Digital Daggers**

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does.

 _Previously:_

 _And the two bickered all the way home, unaware of Lucy watching the two from the trees of the forest. She relaxed into the tree she was resting in, accustomed to the rough bark on her back and the soft whispers of the leaves. Lucy took out her mother's journal, placing a gloved hand over it as she gazed into the night sky, illuminated by the countless stars._

"… _I wonder how father is doing."_

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Following one's heart**

After some deliberation, Lucy decided to rent an apartment on Strawberry Street. Despite the fruity name which she disliked, the rent was an agreeable amount and it was nice to have a no-nonsense landlady who did not care about appearances so long as the rent was paid. It was late at night when she had made the decision so she was surprised the next morning when Natsu and Happy were at her dining table, seemingly making themselves home at the place she had only paid to call home a few hours ago.

Not seeing the point of commenting on their break in into her apartment as it had saved her the trip of going to Fairy Tail to meet them, she merely lifted her hand in greeting and headed to the bathroom.

What a nice morning it was turning out to be.

* * *

"What brings you both here?" Lucy questioned as she towelled her wet hair, decked in a black tank top and sweatpants. Happy blinked in surprise at her inclusion of him, most people tended to overlook his presence when he was with Natsu so he felt a rush of warmth at her question. "Natsu wanted to talk to you before you got to the guild because he thought that everyone would –" Happy rambled cheerfully, unaware of Natsu signalling at him to stop, making cutting motions over his throat.

Suddenly Natsu's hand clamped over the Exceed's mouth, laughing nervously when Lucy looked at him suspiciously with narrowed eyes. Natsu winced at the gaze, feeling like the situation was spiralling out of control. What had Igneel said all those years ago? Then again, was learning from a dragon about human customs really the right way to learn about human things? Natsu shook his head, he couldn't back out now, especially after he had already prepared something to sweeten the deal for Lucy.

His fists clenched, palms sweaty and throat dry from nerves. God, what was wrong with him. He was Natsu Dragneel, the famed Salamander of Fairy Tail who burned all his enemies away and left a trail of destruction behind. Yet right now, he was suffocating his cat while trying to remember how to form words in his mouth. While Fairy Tail, his beloved dysfunctional family had taught him how to live and fight and protect his own, they had never really breached the topic of social conventions. Ah, now he remembered one of Igneel's lessons. Twenty seconds of courage is all you need to change your life. And Igneel was never wrong, he thought vehemently. Wait, what do I do if I go over twenty seconds. Will it not work anymore?

"Natsu. I don't think Happy can hold his breath that long." Startled out of his grim thoughts, Natsu immediately released Happy's mouth, the Exceed glaring at him, too out of breath to speak his mind. Lucy was now looking at him with a hint of concern in those seemingly indifferent eyes. Lucy, who he felt drawn to, even as she maintained some sort of distance from the guild, an intangible distance that made him want to reach for her before she slipped out of his grasp.

"Form a team with me and Happy."

"…"

"Also, have this key." He anxiously pushed the silver key into her hands, unsure of what her silence meant. Had he really screwed this up? Unknowingly, both he and Happy's eyes had turned round and teary, drawing a faint smile from Lucy.

"A team sounds good. And the key…" Lucy paused, her mind conflicted. She had not intended on accepting any more keys but if she didn't accept this one now, the pair would get suspicious of her motives. "Thanks for the key." Natsu and Happy exchanged big grins before cheering excitedly, requesting Lucy to show them her celestial spirit magic, a magic that neither had experienced firsthand.

"I wonder if she has to sign a blood pact." Happy not subtly whispered to Natsu, who seemed alarmed at the thought of his new partner spilling blood each time she had to make a contract. His own thoughts surprised him. Why was he acting so protective over someone he had just met? Albeit, he had felt as if he had known her for a long time, like two old souls recognising each other.

"There's no bloodshed of any kind involved." That being said, Lucy was a tad bit anxious that the spirit of this key may not take to her very well, her being a sort of pariah in the celestial realm as the once beloved child of the stars who had died and then become revived as a demon. But if she didn't acquiesce to the duo's request, they could get suspicious of her magic and probe into her past, so she logically decided to comply and summon the spirit, consequences be damned.

"I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits! Now! O Spirit, answer my call and pass through the Gate! Gate of Canis Minor, I open thee! Nikora!" She watched in trepidation as the golden threads wove together to form a small white creature with an orange coned nose. Lucy watched grimly as the creature seemed to be shaking uncontrollably in her presence but could read nothing in its beady eyes.

Ignoring Happy and Natsu's attempts to console her, believing she would be disappointed in what she had summoned, she held out a tentative hand to the shaky spirit. "Are you willing to form a contract with me?" The clear promise of 'if you do not wish to, then I will find a better owner for you' was unsaid but clearly there.

When the white paw touched her palm without hesitation, even Lucy couldn't deny the rush of warmth that spread through her. She realised that the spirit was not afraid of her but instead just a naturally shaky individual and it was quite a cute trait to behold. "Then let's move on to the contract." The spirit made an affirmative noise and she took that as the signal to start, grabbing a pencil and paper.

"Monday?" The Nikora shook its head sideways.

"Tuesday?" It nodded and she jotted it down.

They finished the rest of the days while Natsu and Happy watched in amusement and shock at how basic it was, the former drinking the tea that Lucy had prepared.

"Then the contract is complete. I look forward to working with you…" Lucy paused and Natsu asked what was wrong, to which she replied that she needed to name the spirit as Nikora was just the name for the category of these kind of spirits.

"…Plue. Is Plue okay?" The now Plue bobbed its head making its pun-pun sound. She smiled faintly and then turned to Natsu and Happy as Plue returned back to the celestial spirit world. "And that's about all there is to these contracts. Celestial wizards work by contracts so promises are important to us."

"That's pretty simple then." Natsu commented cheerfully while Happy mused over the undeniable joy that Lucy had had over the spirit's agreement to form a contract with her. The observant cat believed that the celestial wizard seemed too relieved that Plue had acted the way that it had but he didn't think questioning her about it now was the right thing to do so he shoved it into the mental cabinet labelled 'Why Lucy is a weirdo'.

"Anyway," Natsu declared as he got up from his seat at Lucy's dining table and walked over to the beginning to stand up Lucy. "Welcome to Team Natsu, Lucy!"

They slapped their right hands together. "The team name is a bit strange though."

"What? Why?" Natsu asked, dumbfounded.

"…"

"Happy? There's nothing wrong with the team name _right_?"

"…"

"…"

The silence was broken by Happy's snickering which the male cat could no longer muffle. Lucy also hid her smirk behind her hand.

"You two are weird." Natsu muttered, trying to calm down and alleviate the redness of his ears.

"No wonder the team name is weird." Lucy commented offhandedly while Natsu scowled that he didn't get the last word.

* * *

Many thought Natsu to be insensitive and callous but if anything, he was overly sensitive, too attuned to his surroundings, an effect of being a dragon slayer. And it was on the next day after team Natsu had been formed that he heard some of the guild members muttering about his new partner in a not so kind way, as he entered the guild with Happy. He felt flickers of irritation and rage sparking in his chest, particularly when he realised some of the words were coming from his rival-comrade Gray. Natsu was only stopped by a familiar armed hand and a cool voice that calmly stated, "Gray. We do not talk that way about anyone, regardless of how long they have been a member."

"But Erza, this chick knew about Galuna Island. About _Lyon_."

"We all have our own pasts and secrets Gray. Master trusts her…so for now I will extend my trust to her." Gray scowled at Erza's words and it was clear that while his remarks would stop, he would not trust the new member until she proved herself, a sentiment shared by many of the other members.

"Lucy's not a bad kid, Gray," Macao said, bandages still wrapped around his injuries from his encounter with the Vulcans. As one of the older members of the guild, he had their immediate attention, particularly since he was one of the few that had actually spoken to her. "I think she's just been on her own for a long time."

Silence reigned over the guild before the authoritative voice of Master piped up, "Macao is right. We are Fairy Tail. If we don't treat her right now, how will she ever get along with the guild?"

"Lucy's _my_ partner! If ya have an issue with her, then say it straight to my face," Natsu declared ferociously, punching his fists together, the sparks of flames mirroring the ones in his onyx eyes.

"What kind of idiot are you, flame-breath – forming a team with her without knowing anything about her!" Gray snapped, the very air chilling around him as he slammed a hand on the table.

"I know enough to not speak crap about her!" Tensions rose and even Erza stepped away from the pair, curious about this Lucy who had managed to get Natsu of all people defending her so strongly after less than a handful of meetings.

"You're too trusting, too naïve – never thinking with your brain!"

"You're right."

"…"

"I'm thinking with my heart," Natsu began solemnly, using his clenched right fist to hit the space above his heart, "It's telling me that this girl, a mage who uses celestial spirit magic isn't a bad person. That this person who treats Happy as an equal, who loves her spirits no matter their shape or size, who gets angry when Vulcans can't recognise her gender isn't my enemy. It's telling me that this girl whose smiles are always tainted with this… this sadness needs my help, even if she won't say it!"

"You lurrrveee her!" Happy teasingly called out from the bar, accompanied by a wolf-whistle from Cana who raised her barrel in teasing admiration.

Natsu's face flamed up in embarrassment but he stood his ground, resolutely facing Gray amidst the catcalls from the other guild members.

"I hope you don't regret this." Gray stated before breaking the eye contact, the foreboding warning lingering in the air.

Natsu frowned, the expression deepening when he recalled the way Loke had become rigid upon hearing about Lucy's magic.

* * *

' _Musing through memories. Losing my grip in the grey._

 _Numbing the senses, I feel you slipping away._

 _Fighting to hold on. Clinging to just one more one day_

 _Love turns to ashes. With all that I wish I could say_

 _I'd die to be where you are_

 _I tried to be where you are'_

Loke, formerly Leo, the Leader of the Twelve Golden Zodiac, at least until he had led his master to her death, gripped his chest in agony as he slumped in one of the many alleys of Magnolia. He couldn't believe that Lucy, the once revered child of the stars had formed a team with Natsu and Happy of all people. He couldn't believe she was even here in Fairy Tail, her untimely arrival suspiciously coinciding with what he believed to be his passing as the attacks got stronger and more frequent. He didn't know the specific details of Lucy as he was summoned often, up until the point he was exiled and even then, the other spirits were forbidden from saying anything without their master's acceptance. Their master, Lucy Heartfilia, their keys passed on from her mother, Layla Heartfilia.

"A Heartfilia of all things." He murmured.

Without warning, without hesitation, a dagger was placed at his throat and Loke looked up at what he assumed to be the dark silhouette of Lucy after catching a glimpse of blonde hair and a jingle of keys, who glared at him with a mixture of confusion and suspicion.

"How do you know that name?"

Loke feigned confusion, "I didn't say any name." Now was not the time to get involved with any celestial mages, there was still much to do with what little time he had left.

"Right," Lucy drawled sarcastically. "Wait, I recognise you. You're Loke. What are you doing all alone here? And your presence. It's strangely familiar but it feels like you're fading out."

He stiffened, and her sharp eyes caught it immediately, but then he relaxed realising that two could play at this game. "Well I'm not the only with secrets, am I, Miss Heartfilia?" She said nothing, and he knew they were now on an equal playing field. "I'll keep my business to myself and I hope you'll do the same, Lucy." Lucy grunted, removing the dagger and gave him enough room to stand and brush the dirt off his clothes, eyes never leaving his form.

"A word of warning. Fairy Tail is the type of guild to unearth all those secrets."

"Even yours?"

He said nothing and two days later when Loke quit the guild, Lucy wasn't surprised. 

' _Every night, I dream you're still here_

 _The ghost by my side, so perfectly clear_

 _When I awake, you'll disappear_

 _Back to the shadows_

 _With all I hold dear, With all I hold dear_

 _I dream you're still here, I dream you're still here'_

On the night of Loke's departure from the guild, Lucy laid her back against the bed frame in her apartment, contemplating the next best course of action. Loke clearly knew something about the Heartfilia line and with his sudden disappearance, altogether it didn't bode well for her secrecy. Perhaps tracking him down, like all the Fairy Tail members seemed to be doing was the right action. Finding the right key, she waved her arm, channelling her magic into the silver object.

"Crux. I'm looking for any information on Loke, who seems to know about the Heartfilias."

She waited patiently, knowing Crux would give her the details she sought and only flinched slightly when the spirit finished its research.

"Loke is not linked to any of the celestial wizards descending from the Heartfilia line. However, he was associated with the celestial wizard, Karen Lilica."

"Karen Lilica. If I recall, she was a Blue Pegasus mage that died a few years back on a job. Crux, what was their relationship?"

"I am sorry but that is all I can say."

"I see. Thank you, Crux. You can return."

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest, contemplating over all the knowledge she had about Loke. A deceased celestial mage that he knew, not to mention the man was even familiar with the celestial magic in her family line. A man with a presence she faintly recognised…and then it all clicked together. Lucy tilted her head up to see the starry sky through her open window. And then she sighed, putting on her black cloak as she headed in the direction of where Karen Lilica's memorial stone was. 

' _Hidden companion_

 _Phantom be still in my heart_

 _Make me a promise that_

 _Time won't erase us_

 _That we were not lost from the start'_

Not long later, she glanced at a familiar orange head standing in front of a grave, the area enclosed by a waterfall. Her black boots were quiet as she stepped towards the rocky ledge.

" _Leo_ , the Lion spirit. What are you still doing here in the human world, your owner Karen Lilica died long ago."

"You figured it out faster than I thought but I don't understand why you're here."

Lucy shrugged indifferently, "Everyone is searching for you, so I thought I'd do my part. And Crux was the main reason I managed to get here in time. To find out why you're still here and not in the celestial world as you should be, waiting for a new owner."

"…I've been here for three years now and yet you're the first person to figure it out." The spirit smiled cheerfully yet it was clear that her blunt words had affected him.

Her brown eyes widened in disbelief at the number, unable to conceive how much willpower he had to have to withstand the constant drainage of spirit-life energy from his very existence. "You intend to die here."

"I do. I'm on my last legs and I thought it'd be fitting to meet my end here."

"I don't understand. Why aren't you going back?" 'Can I open the gate for him?'

"I don't need saving." As if reading her mind, he turned his back to her, facing the beautiful grave as he thought his next words out carefully. "I can't go back because I broke the underlying rule of all contracts between owner and spirit and in return, was banished from the spirit world for all eternity. I accept the death that awaits me, a spirit that killed his owner with his own hands." 

' _I'd die to be where you are_

 _I tried to be where you are'_

They made eye contact as he said those last words, and she felt something shift within her, finding his inner turmoil too similar to her own to let it go. "…Is that really the case? Did you really kill your master? Or was it all just unfortunate events leading to that final moment. Regardless, I'd like you tell me about what transpired all those years ago."

"Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Why the sudden curiosity? We agreed to keep to ourselves, did we not?"

"Because I killed my mother. And while," Lucy took a deep breath, "while it wasn't by my own two hands, it may as well have been. So if you don't deserve to live, what right do I have to either?"

And then she smiled faintly at him and Loke finally understood why Natsu had said her smiles were sad. So he told his tale, thinking it wasn't so bad to be with someone in his final moments. 

_'Every night, I dream you're still here_

 _The ghost by my side, so perfectly clear_

 _When I awake, you'll disappear_

 _Back to the shadows_

 _With all I hold dear, With all I hold dear_

 _I dream you're still here, I dream you're still here'_

Lucy listened patiently, hearing the unsaid emotions in his words – the lingering fear, the torturous regret and the painful shadow that clung to him, its darkness killing his light, his very existence.

"That's my sin, my eternal mistake. Humans cannot come back to life; your lives are fleeting compared to a spirit's. And because of me, Karen was killed trying to summon a spirit to save her."

"Because of you, Karen died. But _because of you_ , Aries and all the other spirits were protected."

"But we spirits are immortal! If I had taken the punishment instead of Aries –"

"Then what," Lucy interrupted coldly, "this cycle of abuse continues?"

"You don't understand! Karen wasn't the kindest person, but she was a strong wizard –"

"Is that what strength means, to the current you? To use spirits as tools, shields from attacks, bait to attract people. If you believe that is what strength is, then maybe you should disappear now and not have to see the thankful face I'm sure Aries would have had when you were reunited."

"You're twisting my words! Karen and Aries are, were both important to me. One was my master and one was my comrade. But I am obligated to protect, to fight and to serve Karen, that was my duty, my will, my pride as a spirit."

"Is that pride worth dying for?! That pride…the guilt, the regret that haunts you…those are feelings aren't they? More importantly, those are _your_ feelings because before you are a protector, a fighter, a shield and even a spirit, you're a living being, Leo."

"…"

"As a spirit, living as any normal human would for the past years, I'm sure you've recognised how similar humans and spirits are. As you once told Karen, I will now tell you the same. Spirits are not tools. You have free will and hearts of your own. That very first day you came out on your own magic to confront your master, you chose to follow the values you believed in, you chose to follow your heart. And that's not a crime."

Her outburst must have been longer than she thought when Loke suddenly collapsed to the ground, his presence fading even more prominently than their previous encounter, as parts of his body become transparent. She moved closer to him, a deep furrow between her brows. 

' _I dream you're still here,_

 _Ever slightly out of reach._

 _I dream you're still here,_

 _But it breaks so easily.'_

"Even if you're right, I can't forget Karen and what I did to her. This is still a fitting end for me. Thanks to you, I think I can go with a bit more peace now."

"Now listen here –"

"I'm glad we met. As short as the time we had together was, I know that you're a kind celestial wizard. The best kind. Give my regards to everyone at Fairy Tail."

"I'm not even close to anyone at the guild. Besides, why have you already crossed out the option of me returning you to the spirit world. If I can open your gate…"

"No! No spirit is above the laws set out in the spirit world. And no human should interfere with crimes like these."

"What crime?! You didn't kill Karen. That day, she chose to take the mission, fully knowing about what you had told her means it was her choice, not yours!"

"…Lucy…"

Grabbing his shoulders with surprising force, she shouted, "Open! Gate of the Lion! Open! Open!"

Pushing her back with what strength he could muster, Loke tried to stop her chanting, "Enough Lucy! Just let me go in peace!"

"This isn't peace! This is running away! Karen may have passed, but you've persisted on. Dying is never easy, but living is even harder." Gritting her teeth, Lucy forced out every ounce of magic she had onto the stronger grip she had on him, the area around them illuminated in the golden light.

"Lucy! If you keep releasing magic like this, you'll die!"

"If I can't even save a person who needs my help right before my eyes, what use is my magic?! I'll force open a gate to the spirit world right now!"

"It's impossible! Can't you see you're going to die if you keep doing this?!"

"I'm not going to let you die like this. Punished for a crime you didn't even commit!"

"You can't save me, and I have been exiled for eternity. That is the law!"

"If a law like that exists; that punishes spirits for following their hearts, then I'll change that law! I'll change it with this life, this magic that my mother gave everything to bring back!" 

' _I try to protect you,_

 _I can't let you fade.'_

And perhaps it all came together at that moment; the culmination of Lucy's magic, his pleas for her to stop, her desperation to open the gate, to change the very rules that bound spirits and their contractors together as the two were forced apart, and the waterfalls rose in a spiral to reveal the dark expanse of sky littered by the eighty-eight constellations. And in the centre of it all hovering above them ominously, a tall figure whose cape billowed out behind them.

"…The Spirit King…" Loke couldn't believe his eyes.

"Old friend. Whether or not the possessor of your key was killed directly or indirectly by you, you broke the law and are not allowed entrance back to the spirit world. This rule has existed since the beginning of our kind and will not be changed on the whims of an exiled spirit or a…human girl."

Lucy narrowed her eyes, the brown depths taking on a fierce slant. "He's been suffering…so much to the point where he's about to die. And for what? Because he wanted to protect his fellow spirit, Aries, and you're still punishing him for something that was out of his control?!"

"I don't want it to be this way for my old friend either…"

"Now you listen to me, Mustache-man! This friend is not old. He is _dying_ here, right now and you won't change one stupid law to save him?!" Getting back on her feet, she felt her magic returning and heard the sharp twinkle of her keys, as if sending her their warnings and encouragements.

"Please Lucy…I just want this to be over. The king is right…the sin I committed…the death I caused…"

"Your death will only bring more sadness. If you died to bring back Karen, if that possibility could even happen, how do you think Karen would feel? And Aries? And all the other spirits? Think about the ones you leave behind" Lucy said, feeling a myriad of emotions as she realised all her spirits were coming out. Even ones she hadn't come face to face with in years. But that was okay, because Loke needed to hear this. The spirit king needed to hear this. Perhaps, she needed to truly accept this.

"It's not a sin! It's not a sin to follow your heart. To care for your friends. To live."

Her spirits appeared around her and she wondered what faces they had on as they glanced at Loke, at her.

"To disappear now would be the true sin! Leaving Aries, the spirits, Fairy Tail, they'd all be sad, unable to remember the good memories they have of you if you leave in such a sad way."

Loke could only stare back open-mouthed, watching as some of the spirits, the zodiacs in particular stared at Lucy with such painful eyes as they disappeared back to the spirit world. She fell down to one knee, panting harshly but still determined.

"Aren't you a spirit too? Can't you understand their pain?"

The king hummed in thought, watching as Leo tried to make the young mage stop her actions. Spirits and their contractors; sometimes their bonds could be so wonderfully strong but sometimes they were so tainted, perhaps corrupt enough to cause a crime like what Leo had done.

"Perhaps, this time, the error is in the law. Leo, who sinned to protect Aries. And this old friend, who risked her life to save Leo. Your bonds shine brighter than the stars, so I will make an exception just this once. Leo, you are pardoned. You may return to the spirit world as you please."

"Thank you, spirit king." Lucy bowed her head in gratitude, feeling the enormity of his actions.

"May the stars continue to guide your path. And Leo, if you still feel regretful, then perhaps you should offer your strength to the one who has shown you the light again. Live and reclaim your pride as the leader of the zodiac, Leo."

Lucy slumped, resting her tired body on the ground as the water came back rushing down. _Mama, would you be proud of me? Standing up to the king like that._

Meanwhile, Loke, tears running down his face, glanced up at the grave where he saw a flicker of bright green in the peripheral of his eyes. Karen Lilica stood there, perhaps an apparition of his imagination, but when she smiled at him, her regretful eyes seeming happy that he had chosen to live on, he felt a large weight lift off his shoulders as she faded. He turned back to face Lucy, only to see she had moved several steps away from him.

"Lucy."

"I'm not taking your key."

"Lucy."

"You should give your key to someone who deserves it. Not me."

"Lucy," He clasped her right hand, gripping it tightly and swinging her to face him, "It's not about whether you deserve me or not, which you do. It's my choice to give you my key and I want you to accept it."

"You shouldn't bother with someone like me," Lucy sighed out, stubbornly refusing the key he was trying to force into her other hand.

Loke, realising he was running out of time as his lower half began to break into familiar golden particles, came up with a temporary solution until he could fully convince her again later. "Just take my key with you for now. We don't have to make a contract _yet_ but at least explain the situation to Fairy Tail for me. Please."

She nodded reluctantly, not cruel enough to leave his key abandoned at a grave and pocketed the key as the lion zodiac returned to the spirit world and Lucy began to make her way back home, where hopefully she'd run into Natsu or Happy who would tell the guild what had occurred in her stead.

On the walk back, she couldn't help noticing that the stars shined brighter than usual that night, their joyful glow illuminating the dark path to the apartment. 

' _I feel you slipping._

 _I feel you slipping away.'_

The next day, Lucy had to admit as she stood before the doors of Fairy Tail, donning the familiar black cloak that covered her frame entirely, she felt some apprehension about going in. Yesterday, by some strange luck, she had found Happy and told him the brief story and asked him to tell the searching guild members that she would bring Loke to them at the guild tomorrow. Holding the key of Leo, or should she continue calling him Loke, in her hand, she pushed open the right door and immediately came face to face with Erza Scarlet, a scarlet beauty who with quite a searching glance at her person forming her own judgements, held out a hand. "Erza Scarlet. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Lucy. Likewise." The handshake was firm on both sides, as the two sized each other up. And then it ended with an outcome a majority of the guild had expected – Erza grabbing Lucy's head and slamming it into her armoured chest.

"Thank you for saving Loke, Lucy. You are a welcome addition to Fairy Tail."

Rubbing the sore that was her face, Lucy stepped back from the 'embrace' or whatever that had been and followed Erza to where Makarov sat on the bar, nursing a jug of beer, where his intoxicated appearance couldn't hide the usual inquisitive gaze of his wizened eyes, "Ah Lucy. Welcome back. I hate to be blunt, but could you bring Loke out now? Many of the kids here have been very worried about him."

"Mm…Open, Gate of the Lion, Leo!"

She leaned back against the bar, as the guild members swarmed the spirit who had regained a healthier tinge and stood taller, as if a heavy burden had finally been lifted from his shoulders. And those that were closer to him were ashamed, disappointed, resentful that they hadn't noticed but glad that he no longer had to suffer. One of those people, Gray, winced at the pointed glance that Erza shot him. Natsu, while cheerfully patting Loke's shoulder and commenting on how the mystery of how he had always smelled a bit strange was finally solved, was also watching with predatorial eyes at what Gray planned to do. There was a clear line that Lucy had set between her and Fairy Tail, that Natsu and Happy how somehow crossed. 

Gray took a step towards Lucy, nearing that intangible yet tangible line. And then took another. Eyes shifted towards him, noises dying down until it was silent when he stood in front of her.

"Play nice, brats." And with that warning, Makarov allowed the impending verbal fight, after all words were as dangerous as fists.

Gray tested the waters lightly. "Thank you for saving him."

She shrugged before giving a noncommittal reply, "I had my reasons."

He lifted an eyebrow at the unexpected response, considering he hadn't expected one at all. "And what were those reasons?"

"Do the reasons matter when the results are good?"

He toed the line, "Are you avoiding the question?"

She bared her teeth defensively, "The reasons are on a need to know basis. And you don't need to know. Don't confuse need with nosiness."

And just when a fight was about to break out, Erza, the usual unstoppable force that she was, cut in, "We would like to know so that we can make sure it never happens to our dear friend again."

"…It won't happen again," Lucy muttered grudgingly because she respected this strong woman, "Unless he doesn't find a new owner in time."

"You haven't formed a contract with him? I thought celestial mages were always eager to have one of the zodiac, considering how rare they are," Erza commented.

"I am fine with my current spirits," Lucy replied rigidly.

"I see." Erza exchanged glances with Loke, who was clearly desperate to get Lucy to accept him.

"That's why," Lucy began, "I came to give his key to one of the guild. To keep safe until you find a good celestial mage for him. He's strong enough to come out on his own so the guild can still see him while one of you carries his key."

"But Lucy, I want to form a contract with you," Loke pleaded, grabbing Natsu for assistance, "Natsu, help me convince her."

Just as Natsu was about to say something, Lucy cut in, "Natsu, it'll basically the equivalent of him joining the team. Think of his personality. We might get chased by fangirls everywhere…"

Natsu grimaced and then slapped Loke's shoulder good naturedly, "Sorry buddy. You're on your own."

Erza raised an eyebrow, impressed at Lucy's understanding of Natsu's mind and his dislike for distractions on jobs. Her sharp eyes caught the slight twitch of Lucy's upper lip at Natsu's comment and her posture softened, understanding why Master had given her a chance.

"Lucy. Why don't we make a deal?"

The blonde turned to face Erza, curiosity evident even with the cloak still enshrouding her. "A deal?"

"If you agree to form a contract with Loke, I will teach you the basics of the spatial magic that allows me to access my armour. While your celestial spirit magic is indeed similar to mine, I believe you haven't mastered my aspect of spatial magic which would be a useful asset to have in your arsenal."

Lucy blinked in surprise at the offer, believing all the guild with the exception of a handful hated her guts. She didn't see Natsu pale, recalling Erza's method of teaching him the alphabet but did see Gray turn green from his memories of Erza beating etiquette into him for stripping in public as usual.

"Leo. I'd like a moment of your time." With that, she strode out of the guild, an eager spirit following after her. The pair walked for a while until Lucy was certain they were out of everyone's hearing range.

"I don't understand why you are being so insistent on forming a contract with me. Is it because the Spirit King told you to? Do you feel like you owe me? If either of these is the case, then I will tell you clearly now that I won't accept your key."

Neither said a word as Loke contemplated the right words to say. "…Why did you form a contract with Virgo?"

"Our contract together is…tied to a certain promise that we will follow through if the conditions of the promise are met."

"But if that time never comes, then Virgo will remain contracted to you until…until you die."

"It will happen," Lucy touched Virgo's key, "She knows this."

"Then can we not make a similar contract? I want to help you Lucy."

"…Give me some time to think about this. I still hold your key with me, so you should go back to the guild for now."

"All right Lucy. But give it some thought. On my pride as the leader of the zodiacs, I would never break a promise to you, regardless of whether we had a contract or not."

She said nothing, turning away from him and raising a hand in farewell. 

_'Every night, I dream you're still here_

 _The ghost by my side, so perfectly clear_

 _When I awake, you'll disappear_

 _Back to the shadows_

 _With all I hold dear, With all I hold dear_

 _I dream you're still here, I dream you're still here'_

At night, Lucy had still not come to a decision. Sitting on the rooftop over her apartment, legs dangling over the edge, blanket over her lap, she pumped her magic into Virgo's key, summoning the spirit.

"You called for me, Princess?"

She sighed at the title, "Take a seat Virgo."

Once the spirit was properly seated, Lucy spread the blanket over both their laps. "Has Leo spoken with you yet?"

"Yes. He asked me about the terms of our contract. Of course, I disclosed nothing as per the conditions of our contract."

"Thank you. You know…" Lucy raised her key, "on that day where I met you at Everlue's mansion…do you ever regret making that contract with me?"

"That day…I will always remember it. It was the beginning of my time with Princess. I…I have many regrets as an immortal spirit but forming a contract with you has and never will be one. Until the end of our contract, so as long as Princess call for me, I will be there."

A wave of gratefulness swept over her. "I didn't know you could be so cheesy."

"I was not aware that my words possessed a quality of cheese."

Lucy sighed, "Never mind. But what do you think I should do about Leo? I do not know if forming a contract with him is the right decision, considering he does not know the whole truth."

"Princess will make the right decision with or without my help."

"You have too much faith in me. I guess –"

Both sensed the oncoming magic too late but with Virgo's fast reactions, the maid spirit pushed Lucy off the roof taking the strike of a water whip that sent her back to the celestial realm immediately.

"Virgo!" She glared hatefully at the two newcomers, a water mage carrying an umbrella and a man with a monocle. A light rain began to fall, and she grimaced at the situation, the odds clearly against her. At her full strength, Lucy would've been able to handle the two but she still hadn't recovered her full strength from Leo's incident.

"Sol, you saw what Juvia saw. This mage possesses a golden key, one of the zodiacs. That means Juvia needs to capture her?"

"That is correct. The mission rewards the retrieval of any golden zodiac key and a bonus if we deliver the celestial mage as well."

Lucy bit the inside of her mouth wondering why someone would want to collect the twelve zodiacs. Her mind raced, knowing she didn't have enough magic to fight and get away. 'Unless...'

She took off her key pouch and touched Loke's key. "Leo come out now!"

Coming through the gate with his own magic, he smiled at Lucy only to frown at the distressed expression on her face. He looked around, seeing the two strangers and moved to stand protectively in front of Lucy.

"What's going on?" He asked warily.

"They're after my keys, the zodiacs in particular." Taking a deep breath to collect her magic, she moved forward to stand beside Loke. "Star Dress: Aquarius!"

Loke looked at her, bewildered that she had already mastered the high level celestial magic. He watched as she somehow raised a tall water wall that obscured the clearly enemy mages' vision.

"Leo. Take my keys and get to Fairy Tail." The lion spirit blinked as her key pouch was shoved into his hand. He could feel the scorching warmth from the keys as if they strongly disagreed with her decision.

"You get to safety while I fend off these mages."

"I don't have enough energy to get back safely and you haven't recovered enough magic to fight at full strength. This wall won't last much longer. You're my last hope. I'm entrusting my keys to you."

She pushed his back. "Get going! Don't let me down, **_Loke_**!"

Loke clenched his teeth and sprinted towards the guild, the keys chiming their disapproval. "I know! I know you're mad at me but she's doing this to protect you all!"

The heat of the keys ceased, and he prayed that Lucy would still be there by the time he got back with reinforcements.

Meanwhile, the water mage had broken past the wall and faced the barely standing Lucy, who was panting at the exertion of using her little remaining magic.

"Where are your keys?"

Lucy only smirked. "Gone."

Juvia frowned. "Juvia will make you wish you had not done that." Raising her coat covered arm, she summoned a water sphere around Lucy, who struggled to hold her breath.

"Master Jose will not be pleased if he cannot deliver the keys to Mr. Heartfilia."

Lucy gasped at the water mage's words and the water entered her lungs, as her stardress came undone. Fighting to stay conscious, she prayed Leo could keep her keys hidden, knowing the secrecy of her identity was on the line. However, her last thoughts lingered on why her father was targeting mages with the golden keys.

 _Father, what have you done…_

' _I dream you're still here_

 _Every night I dream you're still…_

 _Every night I dream you're still here_

 _But it breaks so easily.'  
_

* * *

 **Haha an update after so long. As always thank you to those who somehow find this story and follow, favourite or review it. Thanks for putting up with such an infrequent updater like me.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Have a Happy New Year Everyone! My belated Christmas present to you :3**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does**

* * *

 _Previously:_

 _The heat of the keys ceased, and he prayed that Lucy would still be there by the time he got back with reinforcements._

 _Meanwhile, the water mage had broken past the wall and faced the barely standing Lucy, who was panting at the exertion of using her little remaining magic._

" _Where are your keys?"_

 _Lucy only smirked. "Gone."_

 _Juvia frowned. "Juvia will make you wish you had not done that." Raising her coat covered arm, she summoned a water sphere around Lucy, who struggled to hold her breath._

" _Master Jose will not be pleased if he cannot deliver the keys to Mr. Heartfilia."_

 _Lucy gasped at the water mage's words and the water entered her lungs, as her stardress came undone. Fighting to stay conscious, she prayed Leo could keep her keys hidden, knowing the secrecy of her identity was on the line. However, her last thoughts lingered on why her father was targeting mages with the golden keys._

 _Father, what have you done…_

* * *

 **Chapter 5: The loyal heart**

' _Loyalty cannot be blueprinted._

 _In fact, it cannot be manufactured at all,_

 _for its origin is the human heart.'_

Loke panted as he reached the guild doors, hoping that some of the members were sober and not disinclined towards Lucy. But now was not the time for superficial thoughts, not when Lucy was in danger and needing help, that is if she wasn't already captured, a likely possibility that had rage and fear burning in his heart. A sentiment that was clearly echoed by the other spirits.

Slamming the guild doors open, the members there joked around asking if he had asked Erza out again. The laughter stopped when everyone noticed he wasn't laughing, replaced by worried murmurs.

"Lucy was attacked by other mages. She needs help!"

"Who's Lucy again?" One of the drunker guild members asked, clearly not in the right mind. At this time of night though, it was a shared mindset by the few stragglers still left in the guild. Loke cursed and looked for any familiar face that was a decent fighter or a tracker. But Natsu wasn't here. Erza wasn't here. Even the Master wasn't here. Then who was here that could help him?

"What happened to your girlfriend, Lucy?" A familiar, slurred voice asked him, a slim arm wrapping around his tense shoulders. "Or is she Natsu's girlfriend?"

"Cana! Thank god you're here!" He spun around, grabbing her bare shoulders. "I need you to help me locate Lucy, she's been kidnapped by a dark guild!"

Cana spat out her liquor. Immediately, she sat on the ground, spreading her cards in front of her. However, a frustrated expression crossed her face. "I can't find her. Either something's messing with my magic or she's out of my range or maybe even both!"

Loke cursed and cursed some more when he realised his body was still not completely recovered and gradually becoming translucent. Gripping Cana's hands, he placed Lucy's keys in them. "Listen Cana. I've run out of time. You need to give these keys to Natsu. Find Lucy."

"And tell Master… _the fight is coming to us."_

With those ominous words, he faded. Cana stood, placing the keys in her satchel and started running to Fairy Hills. It was too late to find Lucy without any decent trackers nor strong fighters. She didn't know where Master lived so Erza and Mira were the next best options to get the guild into action. Hopefully, by the time she returned to the guild, Natsu would be there. Gritting her teeth, she ignored the pounding of her heart, the sound akin to the beating of the drums of war.

. 

The sun had risen. Natsu was awake. The guild was in shambles. All three facts were grimly noted by a partially sober Cana as she made her way to Natsu and Happy, the former wearing an enraged face that was only about to get worse. Cana had roused the girls at the dormitory, found out that Levy hadn't returned home, and when they finally made it back to the thankfully empty guild, it had already been too late, the building desecrated with long metal poles. Fairy Tail's base, scrapped like it was trash? Unforgivable. Revenge was in order.

A familiar voice in her mind broke her thoughts. _Everyone. Come to Magnolia Park,_ it said. Warren's voice. Right, Warren had gone with Erza to try find Lucy, Levy, Jet and Droy, all of them missing. Not including Lucy, who many seemed to not have noticed was absent. Apathetic or not, Cana knew if Lucy had not been taken to who knows where, she would be with them. However, she withheld her words, feeling now was not the right time and she moved quickly with the guild to the grassy open area, where huge trees were scattered throughout. And then she stopped. Cana treasured the guild hall, the place full of fond memories but she treasured her friends even more, because they were what made Fairy Tail her home. So, to see two of her friends, Jet and Droy, crucified to a tree with a metal that looked too similar to the ones in the guild hall, was her breaking point. And looking at her friends, her comrades around her, she knew she wasn't the only one.

And just as it should be, their Master, his magical aura usually so restrained now at bursting point, walked with even measured steps to the front. The staff he clutched splintered before the guild's eyes as he clenched his fist and declared, " _This is war_."

.

. 

Their deafening cries resounded through the air.

Identifying the perpetrators was easy when their guild symbol was drawn on their friends' bodies in their own blood. Hearing Jet's last words before he fell unconscious for good this time was an easy task for a dragonslayer's sharp hearing. Everything after that was a mess.

"Just because Jet said, 'Levy's been taken by Phantom Lord to make sure the celestial mage will cooperate' doesn't make Lucy the bad guy!" Natsu snarled, "She's one of us."

Yet the murmurs of dissent continued to persist even as the guild planned their next course of action in the wreckage of their guild hall.

"How do we even know she wasn't working for them as a spy or something?"

"Levy was taken because of her."

"Jet and Droy are both badly injured."

"Our guild is in ruins."

"And if she's not part of it, then why is she not here with the rest of us?"

At the last point, the outcries grew louder. After all, Erza and Warren had been unable to find any traces of Lucy and no-one had seen her since yesterday. It was indeed suspicious and now that all the guild was together, Cana knew it was the best time to finally quash all those suspicions. Grabbing her beer barrel, she smashed it on the ground, instantly getting everyone's attention on her.

"Natsu." She shoved her hand in her satchel, finding the key evidence and threw it straight at the fire mage. "Catch."

He caught it with one hand and the chiming of the keys echoed in the silent room.

"If she, and her name is Lucy by the way, was working for them, why would she leave her keys with us and leave herself defenceless?" Cana said, placing a hand on her cocked hip. "I held onto those to clear the bad blood the lot of you seem to have with her."

"…where is Lucy, Cana?" Natsu asked, distinct heat waves emanating from him, "how do you have her keys? What the hell is going on here?!"

"She was Phantom Lord's first target. Loke gave me the keys last night and said Lucy was being attacked but by then it was too late to locate her. Erza and Warren tried again this morning but failed as well."

"They after her keys?"

"Yup."

The crowd swelled again, clear sides forming against and in defence of Lucy.

"Just give them the keys and get Levy back!"

"We should be saving Lucy and Levy!"

"What about Loke?!"

"Just keep Loke and hand the rest of the keys over!"

Natsu slammed his fist down, breaking the table he was at in two. " _Shut up_."

" _Enough_. Natsu, sit." Makarov crossed his arms, his silent but steady authority making everyone's eyes gravitate towards him. "When Lucy first came to Fairy Tail, do not forget that _I_ gave my permission for her to become one of us. Just like with each and every one of you, it is never a decision I make lightly. Once they become part of this guild, they become part of _my_ family and are under _my_ protection. Therefore, from now on and until the matter is resolved, anyone that speaks badly of Lucy will face her partners, Natsu and Happy."

Natsu grinned maliciously, before looking at his sometimes extremely foolish family. "I'm always ready to fight!"

"Now move brats! We leave for Phantom Lord's base in ten!"

Natsu belched out some fire in approval before pocketing the keys. Lucy would need them when she fought and seeing as he was the one that was going to find her, because he was and no one on Fiore was going to stop him, what safer place was there to be for her weapons. _Wait for me Lucy_.

 _Fairy Tail never leaves their own behind.  
_

.

. 

They burst into the enemy base in their usual Fairy Tail style – guns, swords, fire ablazing. Watching each other's backs, the guild's strongest fighters led the fight as the frontline, charging at the scum that had dared attack their home, their family. And even worse, they were keeping some of them hostage.

Natsu grabbed another Phantom thug by his collar, raising him off his feet with burning hands. "Where are Lucy and Levy?"

The mage stammered a negative response, claiming he was too low in the ranks to know.

Natsu snarled, throwing the man into the wall. Yet another useless response. Where were the higher ups then? Where were his answers?

He looked over his friends but judging by the looks of frustration they were also unsuccessful. From the corner of his eye, he could see Master climbing up the staircase to the top level. Just as he was about to join him, a rusty scent seeped through his nose, climbing through his throat as he inhaled sharply from the familiar scents.

 _Blood. Lucy's with a tinge of Levy's._ _Steel._

"Gajeel, you've arrived. How sad, does this mean you have gained the celestial mage's cooperation?"

"Gihee. We're just about there. Having the blue one there helped. Just need to get the keys now."

" _GAJEEL!_ " With a strong push off the ground, Natsu moved his blazing right fist to hit Gajeel screaming, " _WHERE ARE THEY?!"_

"How sad. I will go help Master Jose." The fat, blindfolded man vanished but that was none of Natsu's concern. Once a dragon locked onto his prey, the hunt was all that mattered.

"Who?" Gajeel cackled, his arm transforming into a steel club to protect him from the fiery fist. "The only fairy scum I see are the ones right below me."

"That's fine. I'll _beat_ the answer out of you!" Natsu jumped back and then roared out his fire to which Gajeel roared out a breath of iron. The resulting collision broke through the ceiling and Natsu landed on the ground while Gajeel remained on one of the remaining unbroken ceiling beams. However, something was wrong, Natsu thought, and he couldn't bring his focus back to damn Gajeel when Master was lying on the ground, looking the weakest he had ever seen him.

And not just Master. So many others of his friends were injured, clinging on to consciousness.

Erza, the fastest to gather her wits as usual shouted, "Retreat!" She clasped the icy Gray's shoulder, urging him to obey but was unable to do the same with Natsu who had seemingly disappeared, even leaving Happy behind.

Fairy Tail left the base, their King defeated, their friends still missing and returned to their broken guild.

.

. 

Lucy was okay with being shoved into a cell high up in a tower like some twisted version of Cinderella, hands bound together with magic handcuffs. She wasn't however okay with Levy being thrown into the same cell, her unconscious body littered with scrapes and bruises. And to be honest that surprised her. While Levy had been one of the few people she had interacted with in the guild, their common interest in books and dead languages had forged a bond that Lucy hadn't realised had this much sway over her.

"Levy. Levy! Wake up." Lucy shook her but the girl remained unresponsive. Scowling, the blonde started to rip lengths of her shirt, tying makeshift bandages around the larger wounds on Levy's body.

"It's good to see you do care for this fairy scum, Miss Mage."

Lucy didn't look up from her first aid, steeling herself. "Treating an injured person that's right in front of them is the normal humane thing to do."

"Well stranger or not, she makes good leverage when it comes to your cooperation." The guild master of Phantom Lord, Jose Porla said smugly, forming a dark shade in the cell that loomed over the injured pair.

"Now do I have your cooperation?"

"Eat shit, Porla." Lucy wasn't usually one for profanities but this trash in front of her warranted it for certain. The man scowled and made a gesture to the shade which raised its shadowy arm over Levy. Anticipating this, Lucy braced herself over the bluenette, biting her lip when the arm struck her in the middle of her back. The Phantom Lord Master moved his face right between the cell's bars, "What a good person you are. I wonder how long your kindness to this supposed stranger will last."

A few beat downs later, Lucy was sure sleeping on her back would be a big no-no for a while. The shade had been dissipated by the creepy man after seeing he was getting nowhere and he had left with the sinister warning that the next time he returned, he'd summon more than one shade. When Lucy was certain he'd gone, she began to analyse the situation. Both Levy's and her hands were locked by handcuffs that cut off their magic. The only escape route was through a large opening to the outside, from which any jump from the top would result in certain death. No magic, no safe escape, Lucy could already see a good plan forming before her eyes. She checked to make sure that Levy was indeed unconscious before closing her eyes and reaching for the curse power that she had been slowly developing since her rebirth as a demon. Changing to her demon form which was unaffected by the magic cancellers, Lucy used the power-up in strength to forcefully pull her cuffs apart and did the same with Levy's before releasing the form with a deep breath of exertion. She then slapped Levy's cheeks lightly, this time much more desperate to rouse her. Thankfully – 

Levy slowly opened her eyes, unsure of who or what would be in front of her, only recalling a malevolent presence and a potent darkness that had surrounded her hands. To see Lucy before her with a panicked expression was confusing, a puzzle she saved in her mind for the future.

"Levy can you hear me? You need to get up." While her mind could read Lucy's lips, her body still hadn't caught up, though faintly she reasoned that that could be due to the lack of blood flowing through it.

"Where…we…?"

"Phantom Lord's guild building. You were kidnapped so they could use you against me. Their guild master left a few minutes ago which is why you need to leave this cell before he comes back. Your magic is still low but it should be enough for what I have in mind."

"What…about you…?"

"I have unfinished business with them and you don't have enough magic to take the both of us down anyway."

Lucy stood up, pulling Levy's arm over her shoulders and dragging her to the open hole in the wall. A faint breeze blew in from the opening, rustling their hair.

"Okay, I hope you don't have a fear of heights." Lucy muttered, taking the bluenette off her shoulders and turning herself to steady Levy's body.

"My god Lu-chan, you want me to _jump_ out of here?!"

"Safely of course. Make a parachute with your script magic and then jump. Reach the ground, head back to Fairy Tail."

"I don't know Lu-chan…"

Lucy had never been a good comforter, seeing as she was rarely comforted by others. "All you need is twenty seconds of courage. My mother…she used to tell me that." She swallowed heavily, her childhood memories rising up like waves, threatening to overcome the fragility of the shields she had painstakingly put up. "But to be honest, even mustering the guts to start counting those twenty seconds can take a lifetime. That's why…"

She locked eyes with Levy.

"Trust in me for ten seconds and jump. No matter what happens in the ten seconds after as you fall, trust that in those same ten seconds, I will make sure you reach the ground safely. I promise you this. And a celestial mage –"

" _Never_ breaks their promises right?" Levy grinned, and having recovered enough of her magic created the parachute, the cursive writing shining as she wrote out the letters. It was a simple blue material, a pink version of the Fairy Tail symbol emblazoned on the top. "I'm ready to go."

"Ah Levy, one more thing before we do this. Could you pass on a message to the guild for me?"

.

. 

Tightening the straps of the parachute onto Levy, Lucy couldn't comprehend why the script mage had so easily put her full trust in her, someone that hadn't even been a guild member for that long. It was a fact that unnerved and pleased her at the same time, raising alarms in herself about why she cared so much about what Levy thought of her.

"Lucy." Said blonde's head snapped to the side to look at Levy who for once didn't use the nickname that she had always used. "It's not just because you made me a promise as a celestial mage that I'm trusting you." Levy gripped the hand bearing the pink insignia tightly, interlocking their fingers as she shot a warm smile Lucy's way. "It's because even if you isolate yourself from most of us, you really are a Fairy Tail mage through and through, and I know you have my back, Lucy of Fairy Tail!"

Squeezing back Levy's hand, too speechless to respond, Lucy silently watched Levy mouth the numbers, counting with her.

 _One_

 _Two_

 _Three_

 _Four_

 _Five_

 _Six_

 _Seven_

 _Eight_

 _Nine_

 _._

 _._

 _TEN!_

Releasing their hands simultaneously, Levy jumped from the tower while Lucy shouted with all her might, "GO LEVY-CHAN!"

 _When you fully trust someone_

 _without any doubt,_

 _You finally get_

 _one of two results,_

 _A friend for life_

 _or a lesson for life._

Eyes squinting from the rush of wind as she fell, despite the situation, Levy could only grin exhilarated at Lucy's words, words that she could feel had come straight from her friend's heart. The parachute was holding well, her timing accurate and as she neared the ground, she made out a pink blur that filled her with joy from its familiarity. "NATSUUU! CATCH ME!"

The fire dragon slayer could only blink up in astonishment before doing as his small friend asked.

"Could you use your fire magic to spell out 'SAFE' in big letters so it's visible from up there?! That way Lucy knows I reached the ground safely."

As he fulfilled her request, they updated each other on the situation. When Levy told Natsu about Lucy's decision to stay in the building on the basis of having unfinished business with them, he snarled furiously and was going to charge in his usual way, Levy wholeheartedly agreeing to wait for the pair outside, when he realised how bad in shape Levy was. The beatings and the parachute had drained her immensely and bringing her inside with him or leaving her outside defenceless were both bad ideas for someone out of magic and stamina. Scowling, Natsu realised his only option was to return to Fairy Tail to get Levy fixed up and return back for Lucy later. Hitching Levy up into a piggyback, he began a furious pace back home but not before first shouting to the sky, "LUCYYYYY! I'LL BE COMING RIGHT BACK FOR YOU!" A quick wave of her right hand and a flash of blonde hair was all he could make out before she disappeared back into the tower, out of his sight.

Levy said nothing about the heat that emanated from him as they went back, but couldn't help something that had been lingering in her mind since her escape.

"Hey Natsu…"

"Mm."

"Lu-chan's totally going to be my best friend from now on."

Natsu choked on his breath, swerving his head to meet hers. "Luce's my best friend first!"

"We just had some female bonding that totally overrides that."

"I called dibs!"

"Lu-chan is my best friend!" Levy argued tiredly. "She even called me Levy-chan!"

"I don't care! My best friend! Go get your own."

The pair bickered for a while, each going over why they were closer to their reclusive friend. Eventually they reached a stalemate, peaceful silence filling the air.

"Hey Natsu…"

"Mm."

"She's a perfect fit for the guild. I'm glad you brought her."

"Yeah. Me too, Levy. Me too…"

* * *

 **To all the new and old readers of this story, have a Happy New Year and may all your New Year resolutions come to fruition. Thank you for reading, reviewing, hitting that favourite or follow button, the response from you guys always blows my mind. On a personal note, that twenty seconds of courage quote from We Bought a Zoo is one I frequently tell myself when I work, especially when I don't know something. This chapter's pretty short but I hope you liked it!**


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